


Silver and Gold

by asparkofgoodness



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: 31 Days of Ineffables Advent Calendar Challenge 2019 (Good Omens), Anxious Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale Can't Cook, Fluff, Gold and Silver, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Marriage Proposal, Rings, South Downs Cottage (Good Omens)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21740080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asparkofgoodness/pseuds/asparkofgoodness
Summary: They had been sharing a home for almost a year when he bought it.  It wasn’t his style, exactly.  Like the thieving magpie, he liked to take, to hoard away objects of sentimental value until his old flat became a museum.  Each piece held a memory of a moment in time when he had fallen farther for Aziraphale, and he had wandered among them in his cold, grey, quiet rooms and studied them and let himself remember.  Always, he came away mourning what had been stolen from him - a confession left on the tip of a tongue, a kiss dying on untouched lips, a brush of hands prevented by half an inch of air - and longing to steal something back in revenge.  So, in a way, it was not his style to purchase, to gift.  On the other hand, he did understand the language of objects.   And, to this particular one, humans had long ago assigned an incredible significance.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 39
Kudos: 175





	Silver and Gold

They had been sharing a home for almost a year when he bought it.It wasn’t his style, exactly.Like the thieving magpie, he liked to take, to hoard away objects of sentimental value until his old flat became a museum.Each piece held a memory of a moment in time when he had fallen farther for Aziraphale, and he had wandered among them in his cold, grey, quiet rooms and studied them and let himself remember.Always, he came away mourning what had been stolen from him - a confession left on the tip of a tongue, a kiss dying on untouched lips, a brush of hands prevented by half an inch of air - and longing to steal something back in revenge.So, in a way, it was not his style to purchase, to gift.On the other hand, he did understand the language of objects. And, to this particular one, humans had long ago assigned an incredible significance.

Crowley walked the winding roads from town back to their cottage, a scarf Aziraphale had knit him wrapped three times around his neck.The winter wind stung his cheeks.The box, tucked in his breast pocket, pressed against his chest as he walked, a corner digging in above his heart. _Probably a stupid idea,_ he thought. _Never seen him wear jewelry except that old ring, and I bet he thinks he_ has _to wear it, even now.The gold won’t match, or he’ll say it’s too modern-looking or something.Fussy._ His boots clicked on the cobblestones.

Really, he had Anathema to blame.She had called them up, one afternoon a month ago, to say she had popped the question to Newt.“ _You_ asked _him_?” Aziraphale had said, surprised by the inverted tradition.

“Good girl,” Crowley had muttered from the couch. _Wouldn’t have happened otherwise.That boy can barely believe she allows him to kiss her.Wouldn’t press his luck._ He listened to Aziraphale chatter happily about the ring, the date, the dress, the flowers, while he read the same sentence over and over on his phone.

“A wedding is just such a tremendous way to celebrate love and everlasting commitment.I couldn’t be happier for you two.”Aziraphale’s voice was sugar-sweet and not at all envious, but his words made Crowley wonder if he didn’t want the same thing.Since then, he had given it a lot of thought, considered it from all angles before sneaking out, under the guise of grocery shopping, and walking to the one jewelry shop in town.

By the time he reached their door, he had convinced himself it was a horrible idea. _This is ridiculous.We don’t do weddings.Weddings are human things.He’ll laugh or make that face when he can’t comprehend why I would ever suggest such a thing._ He closed the old wooden door behind him with a click and tugged his boots off. _If he wanted a wedding, he’d have asked by now_.Really, Crowley knew that was far from the truth, but his racing thoughts searched wildly for any reason to abandon his plan.The last and final reason had to do with pacing; perhaps a year together was not long enough for such a momentous step.It wasn’t worth the risk, he decided.

As he was shrugging off his coat, Aziraphale stepped out from the kitchen.His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he was wearing his apron, conducting another cooking experiment.Crowley was surprised he didn’t smell smoke. 

“I’m trying those onion tarts again, now that I know not to set them on the top rack.”

“Or pick up _Paradise Lost_ and forget about them for an afternoon?”He hung his jacket on the coatrack with a grin.

“Yes,” he said sheepishly, “that too.”A pause.“Where are the groceries?”

Crowley had been setting his glasses down on the foyer table.His eyes widened. _Idiot._ “Uh… they were closed.”

“At 3:00 on a Saturday?”

“It’s Sunday.”

“Is it?”

He thought a moment.“Yeah, Sunday.Closed early.The right of a shopkeeper, as you well know.”

“Very true.I suppose it can wait ‘till tomorrow.”

With a sigh, Crowley side-stepped him and escaped into the living room.He collapsed onto the couch and was picking up the remote when he heard a whooshing sound from the foyer. _My jacket.The ring._ Panicked, he jumped up and practically ran a few feet before sliding to a halt at the sight of Aziraphale picking up his jacket from the floor. 

“What’s gotten into you?” Aziraphale asked, hands frozen on the coat.

“Nothing.”

Eyes narrowing, Aziraphale turned back to his task and then paused again, feeling the fabric.“What’s this?”

“Nothing, I…”Crowley moved to take the coat from him but then stopped, waving his outstretched hand.“Just… give it here.”

Aziraphale pulled the box from the pocket, doing as he was told, but found he couldn’t give it up once he saw its tell-tale shape.He stared at the black velvet object, frozen in place.

“No, don’t… Okay, look, I…”A shaky sigh.A deep breath.“I know, it’s ridiculous.I wasn’t thinking.If you’d just hand it over, I’ll…”He reached for the box, but Aziraphale tightened his grip on it.

“Crowley…”Pale blue eyes looked up and into his own.“Is this… a ring?”

Crowley swallowed.He could feel the blush on his cheeks.Backed into a corner, he had no choice but to admit to it and hope for the best. _Too sentimental.Too fast.Please, don’t get scared off._ “Yeah.”Eyes fell closed, bracing for impact.

“For me?”

“No, for Stan at the coffee shop,” he snapped, looking up at the ceiling.“Yes, for you.Of course, for you.But I know you don’t want it and I–“

“What makes you think I don’t?”Aziraphale’s voice was hushed, like someone trying not to wake a sleeping child.

“Well, I thought you might like the whole ceremony of it, you know, the ‘big day,’ like you said to the girl, but, I mean, we’re not humans and… this,” he gestured vaguely between them, “is good, yeah, as it is and I… don’t want to pressure you into anything and… you don’t even wear jewelry…”As he rambled, a smile grew on Aziraphale’s face.“What?If you laugh, I swear I’ll discorporate and…”

“One moment,” Aziraphale said, releasing his hold on the box and stepping into the next room.Crowley stood, rooted in place, trembling and cursing himself.It sounded as if Aziraphale was rummaging through one of the kitchen cabinets.A few seconds later, he returned.“I was going to wait until Christmas, but…”He shrugged and held out a grey box, opening it to reveal a silver ring, shining metal spun into serpentine twists.Crowley’s mouth fell open. 

“Crowley, we may not be human, but I very much like this particular tradition of theirs, and I think it’s fitting for any two entities wishing to make a vow of commitment to one another, don’t you?”

“Uh,” said Crowley.His head was spinning.“Commitment.Sure.”

“We don’t need a ceremony, however.Unless you’d like one.”Crowley shook his head stiffly.“Didn’t think so,” Aziraphale said with a laugh.“But it would make me so happy if you would wear it, dear.”

The ring hovered in the air in front of Crowley.He blinked, trying to figure out how this had all gotten flipped on its head.Too much time had passed since Aziraphale had fallen quiet.“Yeah.Course I will.”A smile flickered at the edge of his mouth.Still in disbelief, he watched Aziraphale tug the silver metal from its fabric and slip it on his finger.“And you…”He pried opened the box he was holding.

“Yes,” beamed Aziraphale, and he took the ring, holding the polished golden band up to the light for a moment before moving to put it on his own finger.

“My job.”Crowley grabbed the ring from Aziraphale, took hold of his hand, and slid the ring on his finger.Quietly, as he was close to Aziraphale’s face now, he asked, “Isn’t there supposed to be an official person, something we sign?”

“Quite unnecessary, for us, I believe.Unless you’d like a document of some sort?”

Crowley exhaled a short laugh.“Nah.This is…”

Aziraphale entangled their fingers, and silver met gold.“Perfect, don’t you think?”

With a nod, Crowley cupped Aziraphale’s jaw in his palm and kissed him, all his doubt melting away with the soft press of their lips.There would be no holding back, not anymore.There would be no more need to steal and worship monuments to mere moments in time.He would be given the memories, like this one: the night they forgot about the world around them, wrapped up in each other, until the air was heavy with smoke, Aziraphale swearing and vanishing the charred tarts with a wave of his hand, Crowley shaking with laughter.They would come, so the promise goes, from this day forward, without cost or compromise, every day until the end of time.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this one got away from me! It was supposed to be around 500 words, but it kept growing until it was its own fic, not just part of my ficlet collection. Thanks, as always, to Drawlight for inspiration this holiday season. Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, kudos/comments are much appreciated. Follow me [on Tumblr](https://thetunewillcome.tumblr.com/) for more ineffable husband love.


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